Currently, a new messaging service, the so-called MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service), is being standardized. Contrary to SMS (Short Message Service), MMS messages can contain multimedia elements such as text, image, audio or video. MMS is planned to be installed in mobile communication systems of the 3rd generation such as UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunication Service).
MMS as shown in FIG. 1 is a known peer-to-peer messaging service between two MMS User Agents (UA_A, UA_B) which are each connected to an MMS Relay/Server (RS_1, RS_2), each including an MMS Relay (R) and an MMS Server (S) both being connected via an interface called MM2. Both MMS Relay/Server (RS_1, RS_2) are connected via an interface called MM4. Furthermore, each MMS Relay/Server (RS_1, RS_2) can be connected to one or more external servers (ES_1, . . . , ES_N) via interfaces called MM3 as well as MMS User Databases (UD) via an interface called MM6 and a Home Location Register via an interface called MM5. The User Agents (UA_A, UA_B) reside on a mobile phone, such as a UMTS-UA (User Equipment) or a GSM-MS (Mobile Station), or on an external device, such as a notebook/laptop, connected to a mobile phone. It is an application layer function that provides the user with the ability to view, compose and handle the Multimedia Messages (MMs); e.g., submitting, receiving, delivering of MMs. The MMS Relay/Server is a network entity responsible for storage and handling of incoming and outgoing messages and for the transfer of the message between different messaging systems.
MMS has much MMS-related information which is necessary for using MMS as messaging service. Important MMS-related information is, for example, the MMS notification, the MMS delivery report, the MMS read reply report, MMS service parameters, the Multimedia Message itself, etc.
A user's MMS-related information is only available on a single terminal/device. If a user changes his/her terminal, all MMS-related information is lost. If, e.g., a user changes his/her terminal before downloading an MM he/she has been notified of this new MM is lost. He/she cannot download it from a terminal different from the one she used when was notified.
It is a goal of the present invention, therefore, to allow users to handle MMS services with more flexibility.